Hear Robin Easton-Davis give the July 2022 Local 88 bargaining update.
Bargaining Update July 2022 - (Transcript)
Hey y’all! My name is Robin Easton-Davis and I work in the Department of County Human Services in the Preschool and Early Learning Division and I’m also a lead steward and on the local 88 bargaining team.
So I’m here on behalf of that team to give you a brief update on where we’re at in
our bargaining with the county. So first, I want to acknowledge that our current contract expired on June 30th and bargaining beyond a contract expiration date is not uncommon as long as we’re moving towards an agreement. So I want you all to know that your rights are still intact. The county is legally obligated to abide by the current contract until we reach a new contract agreement or unless we come to an impasse. In that case you’ll be updated about the next steps for action. So I’m hopeful that an impasse won’t be the case but we always have to consider this as a possibility.
So we’re making progress on some of our proposals and we should reach agreements
with the county soon on some of our proposals that benefit our members safety and health and that should be during our next bargaining meeting that occurs on July 21st. So for example, we know that workplace violence has been a serious concern for many of us at the county.
Many of us have been subjected to harassment, to racism, discrimination, intimidation,
and other forms of violence both from the public and from the county staff. So we’re fighting for better reporting systems when violence does happen and that county management take immediate action to address staff concerns when they first arise to eliminate and minimize these risks.
So we’re also fighting for better staffing. Many programs are severely understaffed which
exacerbates the dangers i just mentioned and we know that adequate staffing contributes to the safety of our members and prevents burnout by addressing workload issues.
Workplace safety ensures not only the safety of our workers but it ensures the safety of
our community, especially the most vulnerable community members that we work with at the county.
There are delays on proposals regarding economic justice. The county asked to delay negotiations on those proposals until the end of august and that includes the minimum pay increase to $22 dollars an hour that will happen over the next three years and the 7.9 cola increase.
So we’re still fighting for these and it’s our goal to have all of the agreements in the final ratified contract be retroactive to July 1st. It’s not a guarantee but it’s something we’re definitely fighting for.
So these last few years have been especially hard for workers all over the world.
Workers are organizing against employers treating them like their lives in labor
are disposable. There’s been a lack of workplace safety, especially during the COVID pandemic, and employers refuse to pay living wages even as inflation and the cost of basic needs dramatically outpace what we earn. So this is why your Local 88 bargaining team is fighting for the safety, equity, and economic justice that our members deserve
and to ensure that the county follows through on its stated mission of leading with race
in order to ensure safety, trust, and belonging for all workers.
Thank you. In solidarity!
